September 23, 2007 Message

Hebrews 10:16-25 ; Luke 15:3-7

What is it we’re to do as a church, anyway? Not just this church – but, any church. Paul gives us some ideas, doesn’t he? For him, faith, hope, and love are the keys. He says, people, be creative in how you encourage love in one another; be mindful of how you can help each other out. And then he says it is important to worship together. And in doing so, to urge each other on, to make it exciting; always encouraging. Actually he says (The Message), “Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:16-25

If we go back to Jesus, we get further clarification – although it might cause a little grumbling here or there. The church – well not really the church, but those who do what Jesus has instructed, which should be the church, right? - is to be about lost sheep. What was it Jesus said to those who grumbled about his priorities? "Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.” - Luke 15:3-7

Can you imagine that! More joy, more happiness, more celebration, for one lost soul who ‘is found’ than ninety-nine who have always been here! Not only is the church to be about the ‘lost sheep’ in our communities, we are to have a big party when they are finally found!

What is it we’re to do as a church, anyway?

Comedian Paula Poundstone once said this: "I'll tell you a secret -- adults don't know what they want to do for a living. That's why they're always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up -- they're looking for ideas."
Perhaps as a church, we’re still growing up as well – and are in need of some good ideas.
Remember our mission (vision) statement? It’s right there on the back of your bulletin. Check it out. How does it compare with these from other churches around the country, as collected in Ministry Advantage:
• "Where people matter"
• "A fresh experience of God's love"
• "A place to belong ... A place to become"
• "Building relationships that last"

What is it we are to be as a church again?

Jesus came to seek and save ... those who are lost. Are we looking as well? And once we’ve found the lost – then what? Will the celebration be something the lost can relate to, or only the ‘found.’
To those not familiar with the weird and wonderful ways of the church, its traditions and forms can seem not just odd, but downright threatening. We forget that the language and liturgy familiar to those who are already part of the church is strange and even intimidating to those whose seldom or never attend a church. The great French philosopher and skeptic Voltaire once said: "If you would speak with me, you first must learn my language." Unfortunately, our language and ways of doing things can get in the way of our celebration together.

While it is true that the church serves as a community for the faithful, a place where Christians can feel at home, it is not the mission of the church to become some sort of closeknit group. The church cannot use its desire to be "friendly" to each other already here ‘on the inside’ an excuse to be inaccessible to those still living ‘on the outside.’ The greater part of the church's mission is to be "seeker-friendly" -- to offer to the lost and lonely ones of the earth easy access to the divine love and salvation that awaits them in Jesus Christ.

My God, there are people out there who are either scared to come to church or just don’t know how to go about it. There are examples of people not wanting to come to Sunday school because they would be embarrassed to be with the children, thinking there are grades or levels to go through before you are in class with the adults. There are also others who think tickets are needed to get into church on a Sunday morning or that certain ‘conditions have to be met before they can enter. It may sound strange or even funny to us, but when you’ve never been in church before, and there are loads of people out there who never have, that kind of thinking is not so strange.

So, what is our main task? The church's primary mission is to have a place where we can have our meetings; it is not potluck dinners or ice cream socials or fall bazaars or garage sales. The church's mission is to ring out the Good News of the gospel to all those who are outside the walls of the church. When we only look to the needs and comforts of those already in our midst, we give up our birthright as ‘God’s children and to God Kingdom today.

Evangelism gadfly Roy Fish hits the nail on the head when he emphasizes the difference between "come and hear" and "go and tell" ministries. "People often say, 'Come and hear the gospel taught in our church' or 'Come and hear our pastors’ messages.' This 'come and hear' kind of religion constitutes a reversal of the Great Commission of Jesus. His instructions to his church were not to invite people to 'come and hear,' but for believers to 'go and tell.' The main responsibility is not to bring the lost to the gospel, but to take the gospel to the lost. Jesus wants us to go and witness, but we have interpreted it to mean, 'Go and invite people to church.'"

As a church, we need to ask ourselves these questions:
- Who are our neighbors? Literally. Who lives next door, down the street, across the back lot and around the corner? Just as importantly, do they know you?
- Where do people hang out? Does the church should have a presence there.
- Where is the greatest number of people (55-75) concentrated in your community? Is it in a certain neighborhood, or an apartment complex, or an organized "community" for seniors? Do they need their lawns mowed, chores done, a "gofer" they can depend on?

"Seeker-friendly" means being friendly to seekers. Being "friendly," means extending yourself, going out of your way, showing interest in others and their interests, even when they're not interested in you. Being "seeker-friendly" often means that you become the seeker -- moving out from behind church structure and facilities and into the community.

Sunday service turned into a Sunday of service for 250 members of Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. The pastor canceled the morning meeting and encouraged members to do acts of kindness in the community. Volunteers fanned out to 15 sites to paint and landscape a chapel for the homeless, clean concrete blocks for Habitat for Humanity homes, wallpaper and paint an emergency shelter, feed the poor and lead devotionals at a nursing home. Senior adults and children stayed at the church to make tote bags and blankets for the homeless. The day closed with a 7 p.m. service at the church. "It became a religious renewal for our people," senior minister Allen Laymon told National & International Religion Report. He said many of his congreg-ants gave money to groups that minister to the poor, "but never had rubbed shoulders" with them. (National & International Religion Report 8 [19 September 1994], 5.)

What is it we’re to do as a church, anyway?